Johnny Pro

[familytoad]

What do you guys know about Johnny Pro cards ?

I'm more interested in the Philles (1974) version than that of the Orioles, but I wonder about their distribution method?

I read somewhere that a buyer could "order" or state his desired player for 15 cents..but who is Johnny Pro Enterprises? What do /did they sell ? Did you write to them to get your JP die cuts? Or were they issued in stores?

They don't appear to frequently, but the Phillies seem to be in complete sets from what I have seen in auctions. An Early Mike Schmidt item is included so I have a couple sets , acquired over time...but I don't really know anything about them except their relative rarity.

[Laxcat]

My father says he thinks they might have been with Pizza(?) he's not sure but it sounds familiar to him.

[moeson]

I'm pretty certain that I bought mine through a direct ad in the Trader Speaks. I don't believe these were associated with any food product such as pizza.

[Neal]

Originally Posted by Laxcat

My father says he thinks they might have been with Pizza(?) he's not sure but it sounds familiar to him.

I have heard that as well .... I have also heard sandwiches

[toppcat]

Some answers.....

[Neal]

Thanks for sharing that!
Yes, these are big cards .... with even bigger slabs

My lone example

JohnnyProSchmidt.jpg

[ALR-bishop]

Those are neat

[philliesphan]

deleting duplicate post

[philliesphan]

Since the set pre-dated my birth, I never knew much about its distribution. I purchased one or two dozen sets over the years, and most of them were in a white envelope that fit the cards snugly.

There are one or two cards from the set that are frequently found miscut, with the die abutting the edge of the card

I've got a full set (graded) though will likely be selling it in the next few months.

I will, however, keep my Mike Schmidt Johnny Pro card from this set:

[familytoad]

Thanks for the feedback!

Still looks to be a bit cloudy on their actual distribution. A random promotional game?

Surviving numbers might be tough to determine too, since the odd size means custom holders for grading.

Even pricing is a bit scattered, since they don't come up for sale that often...for the reasons already discussed in the article on demand being low.

I have 2 sets. I would like a Schmidt single some day too.

[familytoad]

Originally Posted by Laxcat

My father says he thinks they might have been with Pizza(?) he's not sure but it sounds familiar to him.

Matt, there was a set circa 1966 called Pro's Pizza featuring Chicago players that is pretty scare. That might be what your dad was remembering?

That set might warrant its own mini thread, since I would like to grab a few players from that set too!

[CTDean]

I bought a few hundred Johnny-Pro Orioles in the 1980's at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I was in the Orioles store looking for older unsold stock, and the lady found them in a filing cabinet. I picked up all they had left at a dime each. She also found five Johnny Pro Baltimore Colts books (heavy paper stock). I believe the books contained die-cuts, including Johnny U. The rarest Oriole back then was the Orlando Pena that wasn't die cut. The Colts book and the Orioles were sold at Memorial Stadium. I presume they sold the Orioles in sets. I couldn't make a complete set from what I bought, so guess that's why they were filed away. I did come away with about 50 Pena's that weren't die cut, so was quite happy.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by CTDean

I bought a few hundred Johnny-Pro Orioles in the 1980's at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I was in the Orioles store looking for older unsold stock, and the lady found them in a filing cabinet. I picked up all they had left at a dime each. She also found five Johnny Pro Baltimore Colts books (heavy paper stock). I believe the books contained die-cuts, including Johnny U. The rarest Oriole back then was the Orlando Pena that wasn't die cut. The Colts book and the Orioles were sold at Memorial Stadium. I presume they sold the Orioles in sets. I couldn't make a complete set from what I bought, so guess that's why they were filed away. I did come away with about 50 Pena's that weren't die cut, so was quite happy.

Got any extra Brooksie Johnny Pro's laying around?

[CTDean]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Got any extra Brooksie Johnny Pro's laying around?

I wish! All of my Brooksie stuff went in the early 1980's. Most at the Hall of Fame card show when he was inducted.